I do aerial dance (silks and hoop) and I am having a real problems with severe cramps in my left foot. If I was dancing on the ground, I'd just dance through them - but up on the silks or hoop , I can't ignore it because I'm likely to fall.

It doesn't happen every time, but maybe 2 out of 10 times, when I get into position and point through my feet, my left foot gets instant cramping. It is intensely painful, starts in my toes and spreads to my whole foot.

My toes automatically separate (it looks pretty freaky, like ET's fingers or finger toes) and are locked into that position for 2-5 minutes while the cramps subside.

Does this ever happen to anyone else? My left foot/ankle/arch has always been troublesome. I have naturally strong, high arches in both my feet, but considerably less so in the left foot . I have lost count of how many times I've rolled my left ankle dancing on the ground over the years.

Besides 'eat more bananas!' - does anyone know how to stop regular cramping in the same spot?

I don't know about specific cramps like that, but I find that when I drink A LOT of water, the cramps that I sometimes get in my feet go away. Magnesium supplements are supposed to help, too, but I've never taken them regularly enough to tell.

Drink water, eat bananas, take calcium. Also, I find keeping the muscles warmer reduces cramps--wear warm, thick socks until you absolutely HAVE TO take them off for practice. I've found wearing uggs works too. Also, if you get them at night, wearing socks or legwarmers can help (again, keeping your muscles warmer).

I've been having this same problem for a few months now, so I know EXACTLY where you're coming from. Good luck and feel better!!!

Yep, I get them too. The only thing that helps me is to stay really well hydrated. And it also seems like the stronger my feet are, the less often I get them. When it happens to me, I have to stop what I'm doing and force my toes into a flexed position and hold them there until I can feel the muscles relax. I can't just work through it or it'll keep getting worse.

I have this exact same problem, sometimes when I point my toes I get this instant cramping down the inside of my arch and big toe, its a real stabbing pain and I can't move my foot out of that position.

I went to the doctors about it ages ago but they weren't much help, he said it was probably something to do with me having flat arches and if it persists he would refer me to a podiatrist.

Cramping = muscles overworking (usually, at least in dance). I find magnesium supplements do a lot to shift the "threshold" of what is overwork for muscles, but if this still isn't enough then you need to find the overworked/therefore too tight in first instance muscles and loosen them up regularly. Do you do lots of foot stretches/massages? Little things like rolling a golf ball under your foot and really digging into all the soft spots daily will help the muscles loosen up. What kind of shoes do you wear normally during the day?

Would also be interested to know if regular loosening of your lower leg muscles (both calf side and towards the front, and especially peroneals towards the outer side) helps. Saying this mainly for other people because I imagine you've already studied anatomy at uni level, but the bellies for the major muscles responsible for foot and toe movement are up in this area. Even if they're not the ones directly responsible for the pain, their tightening up may cause the smaller, 'localised' muscles of the foot to overwork and then cramp up. (I get foot pain a lot - I understand the process now, but it was really weird at first to have to work on my foreleg and my hip muscles to reduce foot pain!)